 and welcome into the latest episode of Window into Arps. Today I'm so pleased to be joined by two of our administrators from the high school, Interim Principal Mickey Gromacki and Assistant Principal Talib Sadiq. Thank you so much for being here. Thank you for having us. Absolutely. And you know, I wondered if you could start by telling the community a bit about yourself and how you came to be an administrator at the high school level. Sure, I can start. So in 2008, I was in Philadelphia and my husband at the time had been offered a position at Amherst College. And so it was interesting because the role I was in as associate principal of a high school, I really loved and didn't want to leave, but we had to make a decision. And so our plan was to start to look for open administrative positions in western Massachusetts, and then we were going to decide whether or not I was going to stay in Philadelphia for a year until something opened up or whether or not I would be able to find something in 2008. And at that time, there was a middle school principal opening. And I remember calling and I had heard that Amherst High School was actually one of the better schools in western Mass because I had no familiarity with Massachusetts at that time, especially western Mass. And so I remember calling Kathy Mazer and saying, I see that you have a middle school opening. I'm not interested in that position, but I would like to give you my name and my information in case an assistant principal job at the high school were to open up. And about two weeks later, she called me and said, as it turns out, we are going to have an opening as an assistant principal at Amherst Regional High School. Why don't you come out and take a look and learn more about our district? And so I had done that in March. I met with Mark Jackson at the time, and then I became a formal candidate in, I think, June. And then I remember moving, getting married, and started the job, like, August 15th of that year. And the funny piece about that is the responsibilities with the position that I took were the exact responsibilities I had in Philadelphia. And so I was building the master schedule, looking at the budget, doing teacher evaluation. So I think my husband and I have always felt like it was just meant to be. It was a perfect fit. So that's how I ended up here. Great. Thank you. Tal. Yeah. I'm really from Amherst, and after high school, went to Wolverham Watson Academy for a year in the Army and a few other places, and when I decided to go back to college, went to Toyota Community College, and then started college late, but I did my undergrad at, finished it at Amherst, at UMass Amherst, excuse me. And then during that time, I had done an internship, a volunteer, part of a class I was in, a volunteer position with a nonprofit in the area that did some tutoring in apartment complexes in the area. And my conversations with the students we were tutoring, and I also met some people in the school counseling program at UMass really opened my eyes to my passion and desire to work with students. And I realized I wanted to work with them. I wasn't exactly sure how. First, guidance counselor sound great, and Barry Brooks was my guidance counselor. I have great memories of him and my favorite people. So then once I got into the counseling program and learning more about the school, and there was an administrative program at the university that I enrolled in, and then the district's administrative program, and then thinking more about serving the community and connecting with students kind of led me to where I am now, the opening in high school and interviewing in the job. Great, thank you. Mickey, Tal was able to share some of his background before you became an administrator. What were you involved in education before you became an assistant principal at high school in Pennsylvania? Yeah, so I was teaching, my first classroom was in 1993, and I was teaching in an urban setting, both social studies and English. And I was really content and kind of saw myself staying in the classroom a long time. But in 1999, so I had taught for about six years, I was in an alternative school at that time, and they had approached me. And I remember they had called me in, and I thought there was something wrong, and they had asked me if I would be the principal of the program. And I remember being 26 years old saying, principal, I'm not much older than the high school students that I'm teaching, but they convinced me to try it and take it on. It's interesting because much like our Summit Academy, the alternative school at that time that I was in was in a large suburban high school, and so there ended up being an opening a couple years later as assistant principal at that high school, which I accepted. And so you just think about how careers change and opportunities present themselves. So I don't know that I ever went in with the desire of being an administrator or principal, but it just kind of happened. And at that point I just, I really loved it, and I reached a point, I would say, 10 or 15 years ago where I couldn't imagine doing anything else. I think a common thread when I talk to administrators on this show and elsewhere is that, that wasn't necessarily the plan of any of the educational administrators we have is to become an administrator. People went in and there were a counselor, a teacher working with students, and people saw a promise, you know, others saw a promise in them and encouraged them to take those next steps in their career and kind of perhaps expand who they interact with and the sphere of influence they can have. So thank you, thanks for sharing that. So going back, narrowing down to the high school, Amherst Regional High School, what are some of the exciting things to talk about getting started? Sure, of course there's a lot of exciting things happening in the high school, a few of them. One, we have a restorative justice program. That's actually a class this year. It's been a desire of the district to really try to implement restorative justice into our everyday practices. It's great to repair harm between two students who have conflicts or students and teachers or even teachers and family members. So we have a class with great leadership opportunity for the students as well because they're learning how to be peer mediators and to run restorative circles with again their peers or other folks in the community. And actually as part of our kind of launching it this year when we started our first meeting with all the adults, we started out in check-in circles where a lot of restorative practice is done in circles and gave us a chance to kind of model the behavior we want the students to implement and adopt throughout the school. Of course there's a lot of other exciting things going on as well. We have a great advisory program that does some career training opportunities for the students also excuse me gives our student leaders some chances in the spring we're going to have more students in the leading different advisory activities. We're trying to use it also to expand PBIS positive behavior intervention supports the school with acknowledgments and we have a pretty cool QR code that students can scan and acknowledge in their student for doing for exemplifying some of our core values being supportive or inclusive or upstanding. So some of the things that are happening that we're proud of the high school. Sure I'm happy to add to that because I too am excited about the restorative justice work that's happening with the personnel associated with that. But I always feel so fortunate given the size of our school we have about 950 students and the budget challenges that we have I still think we have one of the most fantastic elective programs that rival many high schools even high schools that might have more resources than ours and we're still operating a full ceramics program we have broadcast journalism, we have dance we have music production once I start itemizing I know I'm going to forget many but our engineering offerings our STEM offerings I'm so proud to be in a school that still really values the arts and I'm hoping that even through some of the leadership changes that we continue to keep that at the center of what we value. Speaking of the arts would you mind sharing a little bit I know we're taping this in late December but there was a recent production by our theater department that I think was very noteworthy and I know it affected many both students but also not just faculty but community members who came in to see it would you mind sharing that with for people who maybe missed it just hearing a little bit about what Mr. Beck told and the students put on So I was fortunate enough to be able to go to the Laramie project and I'm not sure how familiar people are with it based on interviews from the tragedy that happened in Laramie Wisconsin with Matthew Shepard with Matthew Shepard back in 1998 and the way it was an interactive theater so it was done throughout the different school there were some scenes that took place in the library some in different classrooms some in the theater some in the dance studio and all it was based on the interview tapes from all the people in Laramie that they interviewed so having that time from going from one scene and kind of digesting all of the powerful information and seeing the students perform and the passion that they put into how organized it was seeing them perform and do their pieces and having to take a break and walk to another location it really I think the interview piece in the way he organized and directed it was a really meaningful experience and I'm not exactly expressing it to try to to paint this clear picture and as nice of a picture as it was there was a lot of props throughout the school based on again all on the interviews and actual events that happened there yeah we're so lucky to have John Bechdel and his immersive theater background and experience that he brings to just you know a show that's already powerful the way it was originally written but for John to take it and rewrite it and then have his team do what they do it I just again it's just a really fantastic component that he is willing to take what he has and share it with the students in Amherst High School and the community and it's really special thank you so you know being a high school administrator is not an easy job for sure you talked about the lack of breakfast and sometimes lunch right I think that's indicative of the role what are some of the challenges that you face and perhaps you know how do you manage those challenges or what are some of the benefits as well or what are the parts I'm happy to start so with 950 adolescents in the building you know you always hope that you could get to know all the students in your building and I find that it's a real challenge because I'd like to do that and finding ways you know to have that happen in the midst of what else has to happen in a day I know can be challenging and adolescence is also just a tough time for a lot of students and so I find it really challenging as I work with students who might make mistakes or make choices in that moment they're not necessarily able to see that it's an opportunity for growth and it can be a painful time I do think that we're surrounded by a really strong counseling team and also you know our whole educational team in the building I think recognizes that students are at that point in their life and they do a great job of really trying to hold and support students but it's challenging on a day basis to work with students when those situations occur and there's a lot that happens every day in this school so coming in with a plan and things on your calendar then as things come up throughout the day not being able to necessarily give as much attention to some of the things that you'd like to just because there's so much going on again having a great administrative team and counselors and deans and teachers in general it's it doesn't seem as overwhelming as it easily could if people didn't work so well together so staying on that theme what does a typical day look like for you or is that does that even exist for you all in high school I think that's you know it's like the blessing in the curse type of thing is great I'd like to not have I like not having typical days but sometimes you know it is nice to have just a kind of a day that you can do everything that's on the calendar you can make all the meetings again it's a lot of different things of course a lot of interactions with teachers and with students and their family members spending a lot of time with emails this way we communicate now so responding to so many different emails about a variety of different things going on in the school and the community these are individual families it's a lot of that a lot of emails a lot of meetings a lot of steps through the school yeah I would agree with what Talib said people sometimes ask what's the difference because I was in the building for 10 years as an assistant principal what's the difference between what it was like as an assistant principal and now the principal and I joke and I say about 400 emails a day is the main difference I can't believe the volume and yet recognizing it's so important to communicate with our stakeholders and I'd much rather get an email asking a question or trying to connect than not having that communication but I'm someone who like you I can't I don't like not responding in the moment and just reality happens and sometimes you just can't get to them for a day or two and I find that a huge challenge that I'm working through personally is to not be on email 24 hours a day because you really could be in this job absolutely what are some of your favorite moments from Mickey you've been at the high school for longer than Talib but what are some of the favorite moments you think back of your time at the high school so I always think of that Friday and June sitting on the stage and just having talked to students for so many years about that night and that night just hangs out there in their sophomore year and their junior year but when that night actually happens and to see the students and their caps and gowns and walk across the stage and I feel so fortunate that I'm one of the administrators like you will get to do to shake everyone's hand as they come through that's just that's really special and at the same time I mean while that's the culminating event I do think what's so nice is going into classrooms and seeing that student who's been working on that art project for weeks like finally have a finished product or see those bulletin boards that our art teachers you know Ben, Jeff or Hannah you know they create those different pieces and having been in a room and see someone in the beginning stages of something or you see someone go to the board in a math class and actually explain how they got the answer they got I just think those little, those many successes that you witness throughout the days and throughout the weeks are really exciting too Thank you. Yeah definitely similar to make you sing The students, most of the students who went through the Amherst Middle School are now in high school and seeing how much they've matured and growing up now they've become the young adolescents in middle school to these young adults now about to go off in the world it's great seeing them how thoughtful they are and seeing them in the performance like the Laramie Project or performing in sports and in other ways that they shine throughout the year Yeah I mean one of the interesting piece of feedback I got this year is that at the beginning of the year as you both attended we had convocation and one thing I decided was just to show the video with no sound of students walking across the stage just as filler when our staff are walking in because it's really the only opportunity that our entire staff gets together each year and how many people and I'm talking about kindergarten teachers not just people at the high school really appreciated seeing that and trying to see if they could see their students up in the stage or as young adults walking across the stage so that's something that we plan to make an annual tradition because we do live stream that for family members so we have a really nice videotape of that event but I was surprised and I said let's see how it goes but the number of people came up to me all grade levels high school middle and elementary and even preschool and saying just what an amazing experience because not everyone can go to the graduation not everyone can attend that but to see their work materialize in that tangible way is really powerful so I agree with you it really is a special event and we need to thank you because I remember calling you asking you for the live stream of that event because we have so many students who have family members that that is such an event that they want to see but they're not in Amherst and so I just want to continue to thank you thank you for doing that supporting good staff ideas is the best thing I do so you know you talked about a little bit earlier Talib in ways that students become leaders at the high school level especially developmentally their readiness is pretty high for that what can you describe a little bit of either of you can you describe a little bit of how that might work or how you see that working in terms of students taking on more active roles in the leadership of the school so of course we have the student government that students our student council students get elected to and do a great job of advocating for their peer groups for different causes and events they want to put on also this year with the restorative justice program it's a great leadership opportunity for those students too I mean that specifically was designed for to teach them how to perform restorative circles and to be leaders amongst their peers and many of our after school programs the MSAN Minority Student Achievement Network another great leadership opportunity they go to conferences all over the country and then they bring back what they've learned with an action plan on things they can do to try to help the school feel more inclusive and welcoming and again they create an action plan to do the nationwide MSAN conference and then they come back and share it with their peers also there's a lot of little ways that students can become that we see them becoming leaders in the hallways helping out one another and classroom teachers also provide a lot of leadership opportunities for students where they're just leading a group discussion or being leading a lab or other activities like that within the classroom so it's nice that they have a variety of ways of course there's sports performing arts in other ways the leadership that they display in those arenas also they demonstrate throughout the day in school as well thank you given the age of the students how do parents and guardians interact with the school because we know that as students get older they may not want their parents and guardians some may not want their parents and guardians as involved as when they were in for instance elementary school how do you see the role of parent guardians playing out at Amherst Regional High School we really appreciate when parents advocate for the students that's incredibly important and it's just part of a partnership that we want to cultivate and at the same time as students get into the older grades it's not uncommon that we have conversations to say okay so how can we help support the student to self advocate and while I know what the ultimate goal is what can we do to position the student to be able to demonstrate those skills whether it's the communication skills or those self advocacy skills so doing that with parents so instead of saying I'm not willing to engage with you I'd like the student to do that I've actually worked with parents to say okay how can we together we'll set up the meeting and we'll have a student come into my office and talk about what it is that might be going well or not well so we really try to shift that conversation to the students but at the same time there's some events that do really just require parental and guardian involvement and that's fine too so our last question is often times after people view these and thanks to Amherst Media for all your work they like to say oh I'd like to help with that or oh I actually want to reconnect I'm an alumni and I saw this on YouTube or Facebook what is the best way for viewers to get in touch with you if they have an idea they want to share or they have a question about the high school they're thinking about where to send their child for next year so I can put a plug in for the PGO coffee that's coming up on January 24th where Talib and assistant principal Mary Custard who's not here today but she will be joining us and that's our opportunity to really sit with community members who are available but if not everyone's going to be able to make it out that night they should everyone should feel encouraged to contact us by email they can call the main office and get to one of us and families are always welcome to schedule an appointment what's the main office number just because the email I know of yes 413 362-1700 thank you so much well thank you so much for joining us I know viewers will learn a lot more know a lot more after watching this about Amherst Regional High School and thanks for your daily work keeping all 950 of our students engaged and focused on the learning in the variety of ways that we conceptualize learning in Amherst so thank you so much and thanks to you the viewers we'll be back next month with another episode and thanks again to Amherst Media for their generous support of the Window into Arps show